The Perception of Higher Education by Working-Class Students - Article Example

Finding or losing yourself working relationships to education by Diane Reay This article examines the perception of higher education held bynon-traditional working-class students. The purpose of educating the working class is examined as an introduction. The author holds that England educates the working class not in an effort for self-improvement but as a means of reinforcing class differences. As a result, higher education is viewed as an inhospitable place for working-class students. Students with a working-class background often experience conflict because their identity as working-class is at odds with higher education. They do not want to be perceived as being pretentious. They have a desire to stay close to their roots, all the while working for self-actualization. The problem, according to Diane Reay, lies in the fact that the culture of working-class people is not regarded as relevant to academic endeavors. Indeed, current thoughts on community and class differences are downplayed to such an extent in higher education that a working-class student’s desire for a community that is accepting and comfortable, or the desire to remain true to one’s roots, sounds quaint. Working class-students are faced with resolving these conflicts in addition to striving for an education. The author points to this as a source of lower levels of academic achievement among working-class students in higher education. Education Policy in Britain, Chapter 1 By Clyde Chitty The first chapter of this book traces the history of education in Great Britain. The author establishes the fact that the upper class has always been suspect of providing education for the poor and working-class. The prevailing thinking coming out of the enlightenment was that educating the poor would lead them to disaffection with their lot in life. This early and pervasive sentiment has been coloring decisions concerning universal education in Britain for the past four hundred years. Truly, education of the poor, even when it was tendered by some of the aristocracy as a hallmark of modern democratic nations, was rejected by most. The earliest attempts at universal education were linked to establishing Christian ideals in the working-class population. Even this was viewed with suspicion so early educators had to assure their peers that they were seeking to instruct in moral principles but not in a manner that might induce unrest in society. By the 1960’s when great strides were being made towards a more egalitarian educational system, the type of education offered to the working-class was designed to assist in developing utilitarian skills. This was very different from the education offered in private schools. The author does a thorough job of posing questions about what type of education should be offered in Great Britain and how much student choice should there be for the working class. The answers to these questions, however, were not forthcoming. Education Cannot Compensate for Society By Basil Bernstein The author in this article takes exception to the use of the term “compensatory education”. This term he feels is derogatory and demeaning to the society and families that students in “compensatory education” programs come from. He feels that this terminology indicates that these families are somehow lacking, when compared to the rest of society. The author goes on to state that, due to differences in values and parenting styles between the classes, children come to school with preset notions about how to use and process information and language. These different contexts are what can account for much of the achievement gap between students of differing social classes. The example is given of how a middle class student describes a series of events to that of a working class child. The middle class child uses more universal language that is explicit in nature. The working class child uses more specific, implicit language. The problem is, according to the author, is school is organized to reward only universal, explicit language. Re-examining the way we view language and communication in school may give schools the structure to help working class students achieve more. Modern English Society, Chapter 11 By Judith Ryder and Harold Silver This chapter is a comprehensive survey of the history of public education in Great Britain. Specifically, it focuses on the conflict between the social classes and their struggle to answer questions such as what it means to be educated and what type of education is best for members of the various social classes. The chapter was especially good at showing the fact that compulsory primary and secondary education is still relatively young in Great Britain. It was not until the early 20th century that the laws of the prior decades were broadly enacted. Access to education remained a barrier to children from working class families until very recently. It is argued in the book that even though a “ladder up” was provided for working class children, the ladder proved to be quite narrow. The more recent history of education is Great Britain is also examined, specifically the efforts to make education more tailored to the types of jobs that are available in regional economies. The chapter concludes by showing the conflict between getting funding to promote such progressive programs and allocating scarce resources to more traditional forms of schooling. Why Education is Political By Maurice Kogan In this article, Maurice Kogan reflects on why education is so political. He reasons that education must be political because it is made up on many conflicting notions about how things ought to be and how they really are. He points out that education is made up of components that are personal, social and cultural. In the West, he acknowledges that many equate education with schooling. The author shows that education embodies the desires of individuals, society, government and culture. At times, these desires come into conflict. Some members of society wish to stress the individual nature of education while others feel that education needs to be a vehicle for building a more egalitarian society. Consensus on exactly what a more egalitarian society looks like is still lacking. Politics comes into play in education as a means of resolving the tension that arises as a result of these conflicting educational interests. Politics is where one group strives to gain the upper hand that will allow them to shape policy and use education for their own purposes. For this reason, education will be something that society continues to regard as necessary yet will struggle to embrace without contingencies. Read More